The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Hasmonean State (Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature)

229 Pages·2008·10.81 MB·English

by  Hanan Eshel

STUDIES IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS AND RELATED LITERATURE
Peter W. Flint, Martin G. Abegg Jr., and Florentine) Garcia Martinez,
General Editors
The Dead Sea Scrolls have been the object of intense interest in recent years,
not least because of the release of previously unpublished texts from Qumran
Cave 4 since the fall of 1991. With the wealth of new documents that have
come to light, the field of Qumran studies has undergone a renaissance.
Scholars have begun to question the established conclusions of the last
generation; some widely held beliefs have withstood scrutiny, but others
have required revision or even dismissal. New proposals and competing
hypotheses, many of them of an uncritical and sensational nature, vie for
attention. Idiosyncratic and misleading views of the Scrolls still abound,
especially in the popular press, while the results of solid scholarship have yet
to make their full impact. At the same time, the scholarly task of establishing
reliable critical editions of the texts is nearing completion. The opportunity
is ripe, therefore, for directing renewed attention to the task of analysis and
interpretation.
STUDIES IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS AND RELATED LITERATURE is a
series designed to address this need. In particular, the series aims to make
the latest and best Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship accessible to scholars,
students, and the thinking public. The volumes that are projected — both
monographs and collected essays — will seek to clarify how the Scrolls
revise and help shape our understanding of the formation of the Bible and
the historical development of Judaism and Christianity. Various offerings in
the series will explore the reciprocally illuminating relationships of several
disciplines related to the Scrolls, including the canon and text of the Hebrew
Bible, the richly varied forms of Second Temple Judaism, and the New
Testament. While the Dead Sea Scrolls constitute the main focus, several of
these studies will also include perspectives on the Old and New Testaments
and other ancient writings — hence the title of the series. It is hoped that
these volumes will contribute to a deeper appreciation of the world of early
Judaism and Christianity and of their continuing legacy today.
PETER W. FLINT
MARTIN G. ABEGG JR.
FLORENTINO GARCIA MARTINEZ
SERIES OF STUDIES ON T HE ANCIENT PERIOD
OF YAD BEN-ZVI PRESS
THE DAVID AND JEMIMA JESELSOHN LIBRARY
THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
and the
HASMONEAN STATE
Hanan Eshel
WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN / CAMBRIDGE, U.K.
YAD BEN-ZVI PRESS
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL
© 2008 Hanan Eshel
All rights reserved
Published jointly 2008 by
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
2140 Oak Industrial Drive N.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49505 /
P.O. Box 163, Cambridge CB3 9PU U.K.
and by
Yad Ben-Zvi Press
P.O. Box 7660, Jerusalem, 91076, Israel
Printed in the United States of America
13 12 11 10 09 08 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Eshel, Hanan.
[Megilot Kumran veha-medinah ha-Hashmona'it. English]
The Dead Sea scrolls and the Hasmonean state / Hanan Eshel.
p. cm. — (Studies in the Dead Sea scrolls and related literature)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8028-6285-3 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Dead Sea scrolls. 2. Maccabees — History — Sources. I. Title.
BM487.E83513 2008
296.1'55 — dc22
2008021422
Designed and typeset by Keterpress Enterprises, Jerusalem
Contents
Preface vii
Diacritical Marks, Sigla, and Abbreviations x
Introduction 1
ONE: The Roots of the Hasmonean Revolt:
The Reign of Antiochus IV 13
TWO: Questions of Identity: The "Teacher of Righteousness,"
the "Man of Lies," and Jonathan the Hasmonean 29
THREE: The Succession of High Priests: John Hyrcanus
and his Sons in the Pesher to Joshua 6:26 63
FOUR: Alexander Jannaeus and His War
against Ptolemy Lathyrus 91
FIVE: A Prayer for the Welfare of King Jonathan 101
six: The Pharisees' Conflict with Alexander Jannaeus
and Demetrius' Invasion of Judaea 117
SEVEN: The Successors of Alexander Jannaeus and
the Conquest of Judaea by Pompey 133
EIGHT: The Assassination of Pompey 151
NINE: The Changing Notion of the Enemy and Its Impact
on the Pesharim 163
Afterword 181
Acknowledgments 191
Index of Ancient Literature 193
Index of Ancient Names 199
Index of Geographical Names 203
Index of Modern Authors 205
v
Preface
In 1987, I attended a conference organized by Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi, the
University of Haifa, and Tel Aviv University in commemoration of the 40th
anniversary of the discovery of the first Dead Sea Scrolls. At this conference,
Professor Carol Newsom of Emory University lectured about a scroll from
Cave 4 that contained an actualizing interpretation (a pesher) of Joshuas
curse on whomever would rebuild Jericho: "At the cost of his firstborn he
shall lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest he shall set up its gates"
(Josh 6:26). The pesher asserted that the curse had fallen upon the "Man of
Belial" who had rebuilt Jericho and appointed his two sons to succeed him.
At the conference, I informed Prof. Newsome that her observations could
be corroborated by evidence from archaeological excavations conducted in
Jericho by Prof. Ehud Netzer who had recently uncovered an agricultural
estate and palace complex built by John Hyrcanus, who ruled over Judaea
between 134 and 104 B.C.E. I also pointed out that according to Josephus,
Hyrcanus' two sons who had succeeded him died within less than a year.
Prof. Newsom thanked me for the information, but went on to say that she
had no archaeological training. Although I tried to convince her that such
archaeological data is within anyone's reach, she persisted in maintaining
that she did not have the necessary skills to deal with it critically. After the
conference, I called Prof. Ehud Netzer and with much excitement told him
about the scroll, Josephus' account, and how it all fit in perfectly with his
archaeological findings. I suggested writing an article together with him,
demonstrating how his excavations at Jericho illuminated the pesher's
application of Joshua's curse on John Hyrcanus and the death of his two
vii
THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS AND THE HASMONEAN STATE
sons. Prof. Netzer, however, protested that he had no background in the
Dead Sea Scrolls. In the end, I wrote the article myself.
This story illustrates that Dead Sea Scroll scholars are generally
uninformed about current archaeological findings, and archaeologists tend
to be unaware of the contents of the scrolls. Consequently there is room for
both sides to inform each other s field. In time, I learned that the situation is
even more complicated, as I describe in the introduction. It is not just that
Qumran scholars are unaware of archaeological finds, but they further avoid
dealing with the historical kernels imbedded in the scrolls. On the other
hand, historians frequently fail to take the scrolls into consideration. The
present book is an effort to integrate the disciplines of archaeology, history,
and Qumran studies, demonstrating how the Qumran scrolls can contribute
to our understanding of the Hasmonean Period.
This book was written over an extended period of time. I began writing
it in 1998 when I was a visiting lecturer in Late Second Temple Judaism at
Harvard Divinity School, although most of it was written in Jerusalem. I
wish to thank my students at Bar Ilan University and at Harvard with whom
I first shared my thoughts about the historical data I felt could be gleaned
from the scrolls. Also deserving thanks are the librarians of the Judaica
Reading Room at the Jewish National Library on the Givat Ram campus of
the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who make it the most conducive place
in the world for academic research in the field of Jewish Studies. I would also
like to express my gratitude to many others who assisted me over the years
as I wrote this book. First and foremost are my own mentors, Prof. Daniel R.
Schwartz and the late Professor David Flusser, with whom I discussed most
of what I have written here. Even though they did not always agree with me,
they nevertheless willingly shared their thoughts with me and encouraged
me to publish my own ideas.
In 1999, Dr. David and Jemima Jeselsohn decided to establish The
David and Jemima Jeselsohn epigraphic Center of Jewish History at Bar
Ilan University, and invited me to serve as Chair of the center. With time,
Jemima and David have become dear friends, and today it is hard to imagine
how I would have been able to invest so much time and effort in academic
research without their help. I take this opportunity to express my sincere
thanks to them.
Dr. Esti Eshel is my partner and companion in many ways, including
her dedication to Dead Sea Scrolls research. Without her constant
encouragement and unwavering support, I would not have been able to
viii
Preface
finish this book. Anyone who reads chapters one and five will realize how
much she has contributed to this research. I am convinced that by our joint
effort we have accomplished more than the sum of what we could have done
had we worked independently. I pray that our collaboration will last many
more years.
The Hebrew version of this book was published by Yad Izhak Ben-
Zvi in 2004. I would like to thank its director Dr. Zvi Zameret for having
followed the books progress and encouraging me to publish it under their
auspices, as well as Yohai Goell, of the Yad Ben-Zvi Press, who labored with
much skill and dedication to bring the English version to completion. I
am greatly indebted to the staff of the pre-press department of Keterpress
Enterprises in Jerusalem for their meticulous efforts towards publication. I
express my grateful thanks to the publishers of the copyrighted translations
from which I have quoted for permission to do so.
In 2005, David Louvish began translating the book into English.
After completing the first three chapters, he suffered a stroke and was
unfortunately unable to finish the task (I take this opportunity to wish him
a complete recovery.) The last six chapters were therefore translated by
Aryeh Amihay. Thereafter, Merle Brenner, my friend from the University
of Michigan, volunteered her time to read the manuscript and improve its
style. Finally, my student Dr. Brian Schultz took upon himself the job of
checking for consistency of style in the footnotes as well as bringing the
project to its end. To all I express my deepest thanks.
This book is dedicated to Esti Eshel, who by her optimism is responsible
for its completion and publication.
Hanan Eshel
ix
Diacritical Marks, Sigla, and Abbreviations
Abbreviations of journals, reference works, and other secondary sources
generally conform to the "Instructions for Contributors" in the Membership
Directory and Handbook of the Society of Biblical Literature (1994) 223-40. For
abbreviations of Qumran sigla, see J. A. Fitzmyer, The Dead Sea Scrolls: Major
Publications and Tools for Study, rev. ed. (SBLRBS 20; Atlanta: Scholars Press,
1990) 1-8.
Diacritical Marks and Sigla
[Daniel] The bracketed word is no longer extant but has been
restored.
Da[niel] The bracketed part of the word has been restored.
C?npn As above.
Da"iel A supralinear letter has inserted by the copyist or another
scribe.
to (his) throne The parenthetical word has been added to improve the English
translation.
[ ] or [...] There is a space between fragments or the surface of the
leather is missing.
]...[ Letters (in this case three) with ink traces remaining, that
cannot be identified.
A quotation of a biblical verse in the Pesharim.
< > Letters or words that were erased in antiquity,
frg. 10 ii 4-5 Fragment 10, column 2, lines 4-5.
x